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One of our most popular features is our Fuel Price Survey. We poll almost all of the area’s fuel docks for their prices, so you know the prices before you arrive. When buying fuel for your car, you have the advantage of knowing how much the fuel costs when you drive up and see the…

Sea Lion Rookery near Elfin Cove, Cross Sound, Ak. On May 1, Peter Geerloff headed out for a 3 1/2 month adventure. As a featured blog, we will post excerpts of his journey up the Inside Passage to Southeast Alaska with links to his blog to view the full post. (Please note all content is copyrighted by…

Just Getin’ By northbound in Queen Charlotte Strait It’s Alaska Flotilla Day 8 and rounding Cape Caution can be a challenge. Queen Charlotte Sound is one of the few places where the Inside Passage goes outside. Normally we go to Port McNeill before rounding Cape Caution. This gives everyone a chance to resupply (there’s a…

Howdy and Mana Kai departing Port Harvey. One week into the Waggoner Cruising Guide’s Alaska Flotilla, and we’re still having fun! Today we meandered through the Broughton Archipelago. From Port Harvey, we headed up Chatham Channel, across Knight Inlet, and through Tribune Channel. The weather was PERFECT‒hot even. Six of us jumped in the water…

Sunrise at Blind Channel Resort Today was a perfect Alaska Flotilla Day 6 on the water. Five hours of bliss—sunshine, drone flying (twice), a nap, totally calm water, favorable current, and no major boat problems.We left Blind Channel Resort at 8:30. First, we had to transit Greene Point Rapids. Even though we were about an…

Safe Harbour leading the way into Gillard Pass. The lack of swirlies and whirlies is notable…the rapids need not be difficult. Alaska Flotilla Day 5 was the most satisfying and frustrating day of the trip. Satisfying because we got all the boats through the rapids safely and without drama. Satisfying because I got some cool…

Cruising through Desolation Sound. Hello from Desolation Sound from the Waggoner Cruising Guide Alaska Flotilla Day 4! Today we had an easy cruise from Pender Harbour up to Squirrel Cove. Overcast skies, a bit of chop leaving Pender Harbour, but overall a very easy day. In years past, we’ve stopped in Prideaux Haven on the…

Sunrise at Silva Bay. The Strait of Georgia is one of the significant “gates” on the trip in the Waggoner Cruising Guide’s Alaska Flotilla Day 3. It’s a big body of water—20 miles wide and 150 miles long. When it’s windy, the Strait of Georgia gets rough. Today it was calm. I woke early enough…

Today was a short day—28 nautical miles of protected water from Ganges to Silva Bay with the Waggoner Cruising Guide Alaska Flotilla Day 2. We left about 10:30 a.m., transited Gabriola Pass just before slack at 2:01 p.m., and arrived in Silva Bay Marine Resort soon after. Easy, smooth water along the way.…

The last week has been super busy as I prepare for the Waggoner Cruising Guide Alaska Flotilla. Finalizing the watermaker install, tinkering with systems, provisioning, saying bye to friends and family. Waggoner Cruising Guide Alaska Flotilla Day 1 Yesterday, I moved the boat around from Skyline Marina to Cap Sante Marina, fueled up, picked up…

Most tenders are subjected to pretty tough conditions Most inflatable boats and (Rigid Hull Inflatables) RIBs are used as tenders and are subjected to some pretty tough conditions, but if maintained properly, they should provide 10 to 20 years of service. A little springtime preventive maintenance will help extend a tender’s life and provide a…

Anacortes has a new restaurant―The Cabana―which is next to Anthony’s at Cap Sante. The Cabana offers a casual and family-friendly dining atmosphere. Guests seat themselves in the open dining area, and a server comes to your table to take your order. Patrons of age also have the option to sit at the bar, but other tables…

The Reserve is a place that offers the visitor a variety of experiences in nature; it is a place where one is reminded of the fundamental bond between man and nature; it is a place to enjoy. ―Prentice Bloedel, Bloedel Reserve Founder Bloedel Reserve, on Bainbridge Island, is a place of tranquility. Trails meander through…

PassageMaker’s TrawlerFest returns to Anacortes, WA, May 17-21 with a boat show that offers seminars, exhibits, social events, and over 60 boats in the water. The show, May 17-21 at Cap Sante Marina, is aimed at recreational boaters who cruise or want to cruise for long periods or live aboard their vessels. For many people…

For tequila drinkers, I suggest the Mariposa. We enjoy eating out and often search for prix fixe dining options, as it means more money in our pockets for boating. At 5th Street Bistro, in the Majestic Inn & Spa in Anacortes, they have an early evening trio, which is a 3-course meal for $25, served during the…

I am not a regular angler, and will admit I started leaving a window open on my chartplotter displaying the fishfinder screen as I cruise the Inside Passage. Why? I want to see what is going on below me, and yes, I occasionally jig in a school of salmon shown on the depthfinder. I thought…

I walked by the Ranger Tug 23 several times at the Seattle Boat Show. To be honest, I had low expectations. It was new, small and I did not even bother to go aboard at the show. When the email came through inviting me for a sea trial, my curiosity was piqued. The end result―a…

In the Pacific Northwest, there are plenty of cruising thrills to be had with open water crossings, navigating rapids and whale sightings. There is also another kind of thrill, one that zips through the trees and flies over land, an adventure that can only be experienced at Zip San Juan. Last fall, I found myself with…

In the spring rush to get the boat ready, it’s tempting to just paint the bottom and get back to cruising again. But to do so without a thorough inspection can be an invitation for future trouble. The extra hours that it takes to methodically inspect vital systems and to make repairs where necessary will…

This weekend the forecast is sunny and bright and best of all there are two popular events in our home port―the Anacortes Spring Boat Show and Anacortes Spring Wine Festival. The Anacortes Spring Boat Show―April 8, 9, and 10, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Is your summer dream to cruise Pacific Northwest waters in…